TRAINING SAVES MONEY, UPS PROFITS • As an experienced exdriver
Page 71
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I fully agree with Mr A. S. H. Kelly (Dear Sir, CM June 14). Although 1986 is "Safety Year," very little has been done by the large associations and even the Department of Transport to highlight this fact.
If the transport industry wishes to improve public opinion, it is high time it was seen to be getting its house in order.
Every day we hear of vehicles shedding loads, causing disruption to other road users.
1 am a transport man through and through, and it upsets me when I hear transport getting "knocked" over various matters.
We bear about "Foreign drivers" being "hard done by" in this country, but not a word about treatment of English drivers abroad. Who should we look after first?
My company offers the service Mr Kelly is trying to start. He is quite right in what he has said, but the transport industry must start to accept the need to train staff in loading, economical driving, hours law compliance, etc, if it wishes to enhance its image to the public.
Training does save money and push up profits if carried out correctly, not just ten minutes' tuition and then send a driver out.
Inexperienced drivers have a very rough time trying to obtain experience. Driver training schools do not offer the right facilities. A driver who takes an IIGV course in a 4-speed unit/20ft flat trailer is not ready for a 12-speed unit/40ft loaded flat trailer without extra tuition.
I would ask all hauliers and drivers to take pride in their industry and aim to be professional hauliers and professional drivers again. This attitude will bring back our good reputation with the public and see off the cowboys.
Keith Lawrance
Rutac (Southern) Ltd Hayling Island
ANTI-ANTHRAX TANKER • We have been taking Commercial Motor now from you for some considerable time as we have found your book to be technically orientated and also accurate. Imagine our horror when reading your copy of June 25 (page 5). Your article headed "Anti-anthrax tanker causes leak alert". We would have thought that you would have investigated this more thoroughly and would not have taken your piece out of the lunatic daily press.
The material was contained in TNT pallecons. They were mounted on a flat platform, and were marked according to the law. No tanker was involved.
The heading for toxic chemicals is "Toxic" not "Highly Toxic" and there is no Highly Toxic category!
We were the manufacturers of the material and we loaded all of this material onto flat platform or curtainsicle trucks. We did not, however, deal with the transport. It was dealt with by others. It is most important that scaremongering, such as your article, is eliminated entirely from the press and we hope that in future you will endeavour to see that your contributor gives an accurate picture of the situation.
J. L. Romanes Managing Director Lothian Chemical Co Ltd Edinburgh